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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. bore — to drill
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. tube — a container
  7. firm — a company
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bore — to tire
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cell — in biology
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cell — a phone
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. stem — to come from
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. firm — steady
  20. mate — to breed
  21. chair — a leader
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com